The Juma Mosque (Friday Mosque) stands as one of the most remarkable monuments of Khiva's historic center, Itchan Kala, a site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Unique in its design, it features no dome and presents a rectangular plan with a flat roof supported by over 200 carved wooden columns. This exceptional monument's construction dates back to the 10th century.

History

The first references to the Juma Mosque appear in the accounts of al-Muqaddas (Maqdisi) and al-Istakhri, two 10th-century travelers. In the late 18th century, Abdurahman Mehtar ordered its demolition to build a new mosque following the same architectural principle. Several elements suggest that materials from the previous structure, themselves sourced from even earlier constructions, were reused. The last major restoration took place in 1996, when numerous worn pillars were replaced.

Discovering the Juma Mosque

A unique architectural style

The Juma Mosque reflects the style of Arabian mosques from the 7th and 8th centuries, a model now vanished elsewhere in Central Asia. You'll find neither a colonnade courtyard nor monumental roofing here. The building measures 55 m long and 46 m wide, with a roof resting on 213 pillars organized in 17 rows. Openings in the roof provide natural light and ventilation.

The columns and their inscriptions

You'll first notice four pillars adorned with naskhi script, echoing the style of the Bambanai Mosque. Other columns, numbering twenty-one and dating from the 10th–12th centuries, bear Kufic inscriptions that attest to the site's antiquity. The more recent pillars, created between the 18th and 19th centuries, stand out for their floral motifs characteristic of Khiva, adding decorative touches unique to the region.

The mihrab and its ornaments

The mosque has 3 entrances and brick walls. The mihrab, positioned at the center of the southern wall, indicates the direction of Mecca. Its ceiling rises slightly above the rest of the building, and its pillars display motifs of trees, shrubs, irises, and rose hips, created between the late 18th and early 20th centuries. On either side, you'll see two niches and two marble plaques.

The minaret

On the northern side stands the minaret, erected in the 18th century to replace one destroyed in the previous century. The tower reaches 32.5 m in height and rests on a base 6.2 m in diameter. Its crown is capped with a cupola and a lantern featuring eight arches, adorned with marnas (stalactite cornices).

Adjacent to the northwest corner stands the Kai Kalyan madrasa, once a secondary school and Islamic theological institute.

Practical Information

Opening hours and entrance fee

You can visit the Juma Mosque daily from 9 am to 6 pm. Admission is included in the general Itchan Kala ticket, priced around 160,000 som (€12.26). You can purchase your ticket at the western gate (Ota darvoza).

Location and access

The mosque is situated a 5-minute walk from the Kalta-Minor minaret, along the axis connecting the western gate to the eastern gate (Polvon darvoza) of Itchan Kala.